Decluttering Routines For Family

It’s no secret that I don’t enjoy
cleaning or organizing things. Luckily, a

great benefit of living with less is … less cleaning and organizing. By
living with less, I don’t have to search for my things, reorganize drawers,
and closets or shuffle papers.
There are many ways to simplify your life and decluttering helps you set
the stage by giving you more time and space to take the next steps. Find
inspiration in these 10 articles about decluttering.
5 Clutter Busting Routines For Any Family

WRITTEN BY JOSHUA BECKER · 315 COMMENTS
Several years ago, my family and I decided to

pursue minimalism . Since then, we have tried to remove all of the
possessions from our home that are not essential. In doing so, we
have found new opportunity to spend our time, energy, and
finances on the things that are most important to us.
Also, we became far more observant about how our things rob us
of our precious freedom. We have learned that just like most
families, no matter how hard we try to stop it, stuff inevitably
continues to enter our home… nearly every single day.
So we work hard to remove any clutter that begins to accumulate

in our home. Along the way, we have picked up (and try to
practice) some helpful clutter busting routines to help those who
are just getting started with minimalist living .
Here are 15 Clutter Busting Routines we have found helpful in
our home:
1. Place junk mail immediately into a recycling bin. Take note
of the natural flow of mail into your home. Placing a recycling
container prior to your “mail drop-off zone” can catch most of that
junk mail before it even reaches your counter. And as an added
bonus, you’ll begin to look through less of it too (think
advertisements).
2. Store kitchen appliances out of sight. Toasters, can
openers, coffee makers… they all take up space . And while it
may not seem like much space by looking at them, the first time
you prepare dinner on a counter without them present, you’ll
quickly notice the difference. If you think it’s going to be a hassle
putting them away every morning, don’t. It takes less than 6
seconds to put each appliance away… once you’ve found a home
for it that is.
3. Remove 10 articles of clothing from your closet today. Go
ahead. If you are typical, it’ll take you roughly 5 minutes to grab 10
articles of clothing that you no longer wear and throw them in a
box. Your remaining clothes will fit better in your closet. Your
closet will be able to breathe again. And if you write “Goodwill” on
the box when you are done, you’ll feel better about yourself as
soon as you drop it off. Most likely, you’ll find yourself inspired to
do it again.
4. Fold clean clothes / Remove dirty clothes immediately. The
way I handle clothes these days is one of the biggest clutter
changes I have made in my life. Unfortunately, I used to be a
“throw-them-on-the-floor” guy. But now I handle each one right
when I take it off. Dirty clothes down the clothes chute. Clean
clothes back to the hanger or drawer. That’s it. It’s really that
simple. How do the dirty ones magically appear clean and folded
in my closet you ask… I’m not sure. You’ll need to ask my wife.
5. Kids’ bedroom toys live in the closet. Not on the floor. Not on
the dresser. But in the closet. And when the closet gets too full
of toys, it’s time to make some room. Hint, it’s usually safe to
remove the toys at the bottom of the pile.
6. Kids pick up their toys each evening. This has countless
benefits: 1) It teaches responsibility. 2) It helps kids realize that
more isn’t always better. 3) The home is clean for mom and dad
when the kids are in bed. 4) It’s a clear indication that the day has
come to an end. Gosh, you’d think with all these benefits it would
be easier for us to get the kids to do it…
7. Fill your containers for the garbage man. Use every
trash pick-up day as an excuse to fill your recycling containers
and/or garbage cans. Grab a box of old junk from the attic… old
toys from the toy room… old food from the pantry… old paperwork
from the office. If once a week is too often, do this exercise every
other week. You’ll get the hang of it. And may even begin to enjoy
trash morning… okay, I won’t go that far.
8. Halve decorations . No seriously, I mean it. Grab a box and
walk through your living room. Remove decorations from
shelves, tables, and walls that aren’t absolutely beautiful or
meaningful. You may like it better than you think. If not, you can
always put them back. But I’d bet my wife’s old high school
yearbooks that you won’t return all of them.
9. Wash dishes right away. Hand washing some dishes takes
less time than putting them in the dishwasher. This applies to
cups, breakfast bowls, dinner plates, and silverware. If hand
washed right after eating, it takes hardly any time at all. If
however, hand washing is just not an option for you, be sure to
put used dishes in the dishwasher right away. Nobody likes
walking into a kitchen with dishes piled up in the sink or on the
counter… and it’s even less fun eating in there.
10. Unmix and match cups, bowls, plates, and
silverware. Uniformity makes for better stacking, storing, and
accessing. If there is a souvenir cup or mug that is so important to
you that you can’t live without it, that’s perfectly fine. Just don’t
keep 5 of them. Mom, any chance you are reading this?
11. Keep your desk clear and clea n. Drawers can adequately
house most of the things needed to keep your desk functional. And
a simple filing system should keep it clear of paper clutter. The
next person who sits down to use the desk will thank you.
12. Store your media out of sight. Make a home for dvd’s, cd’s,
video games, and remote controls. They don’t need to be in
eyesight, you use them less than you think. And if you remove
them from your eyesight… maybe you’ll use them even less.
13. Always leave room in your coat closet. There are two
reasons why coats, shoes, and outerwear keep ending
up scattered throughout your home rather than in your closet. The
first reason is because your coat closet is so full, it’s a hassle to
put things away and retrieve them quickly. Leave room on the
floor, on the hangers, and on the shelves for used items to be
quickly put away and retrieved. The second reason is because you
have kids… but you’re on your own with that one.
14. Keep flat surfaces clear. Kitchen counters, bathroom
counters, bedroom dressers, tabletops… After you clear them the
first time, keeping them clean takes daily effort. Receipts, coins,
and paper clutter just keep coming and coming… it’s just
easier the second time around.
15. Finish a magazine or newspaper. Process or recycle
immediately. If you’ve finished the paper product, process it
and rid yourself of its clutter immediately. Good recipe in there?
Put it in your recipe box and recycle the rest. Good article that
your husband will enjoy? Clip it and recycle. Article that your
friend will enjoy? Clip it, mail it, and recycle (or better yet, search
for it online and send it that way). Coupon too good to pass up?
Cut it out and recycle. Stacks of magazines and newspapers serve
little purpose in life but to clutter a room.

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What are some clutter busting routines mentioned?

What are some tips for keeping the kitchen clutter-free?

It’s no secret that I don’t enjoy

cleaning or organizing things. Luckily, a

5 Clutter Busting Routines For Any Family

Several years ago, my family and I decided to

So we work hard to remove any clutter that begins to accumulate

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